The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has launched a new consultation on draft regulations to amend the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 - Defra intends to lay the draft regulations to update the current public and private drinking water regulations in late 2017.

The quality of drinking water and bathing water, and the effectiveness of waste water treatment across the European Union continues to improve - but challenges remain, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate’s annual report for 2016 published today says the UK’s water supplies are among the healthiest in the world – with 99.96 per cent passing stringent standards.

The water companies have called for a fresh approach to the issue of controlling the risk of pollution from material in contact with drinking water –and suggest that ultimately a new European regulation might be needed to address the problem.

Yorkshire Water is starting a £13 million project to replace hundreds of lead water pipes across the region to comply with European water quality regulations.

New EU rules to improve the monitoring of drinking water across Europe have come into force via an amendment to the Drinking Water Directive.

The European Commission is opening infringement proceedings against Italy for its failure to ensure that water intended for human consumption meets European standards.